13 Reasons Why: 3A Boyle County Rebels

The popular Netflix show "13 Reasons Why" covers controversial topics.

As we look back at some of the defending 2017 State Champions as they head into a new season, we will give 13 Reasons Why they will either hoist the trophy again, come up short, or just generally be worth following.

Boyle County Will Win the 2018 Title Because:

Reason #1- Chuck Smith doesn't believe in "one hit wonders". Smith's track record insists that when he builds his team to a Championship caliber, they stay at that level for multiple seasons. Often we see teams in the smaller classifications ride the back of a star player or catching lightning in a bottle for an isolated rise that leads to an one off title. Smith subscribes to building his program around a wave of talent and supplementing that run of talent with key players. This Junior Class is phenomenal and anything short of multiple rings on their fingers by the time they graduate would be a major upset.

Reason #2- Reese Smith is the next big thing in Kentucky High School Football. Sometimes players come along that are just special. This may not mean they end up being a 5* All American, but it means that they become a dominating force that can literally change a game every time they are on the field. Smith has that potential. He gave evidence of this when he basically took over last year's Title game against Corbin. It can be argued he is a First Team All-State worthy player on both Offense and Defense. Smith not only hauled in over 1000 yards receiving, he added a ridiculous 9 Interceptions.

Reason #3-Landen Bartleson is an elite athlete. The Rebel Runningback ran for 1137 yards and 20 TD's last season, but it has been his Spring and Summer that has "wowed" College Scouts and put him in elite company with his measurable qualities. It is safe to say no player in Class 3A will have much success tracking Bartleson down if he is loose in the secondary.

Reason #4- Reed Lanter should show a significant improvement. The Junior to be got the job done thrust into the starting role as a Sophomore. Statistically speaking he played at Championship level, protected the football, and managed the game while letting his skill players make plays. Expect Lanter to take the next step in 2018. Chuck Smith's QB's have a long history of really excelling in their second season as starters and he has produced some greats.

Reason #5- Tanner Crawford is the best kept secret in Kentucky. We already extolled the virtues of Landen Bartleson, the kid with major D-1 offers, but the primary rushing threat is Crawford and between the two of them it is safe to say Boyle may have the best 1-2 punch at RB in the State. Crawford came up a handful of yards shy of the 2000 yard mark but proved to be the guy Boyle turned to any time they needed a key conversion.

Reason #6- Depth wins 3A football and Boyle has it. When you look at the past State Champions in Class 3A in the 6-Class system almost every single one has plenty of depth to overcome injuries and keep bodies fresh flipping from Offense to Defense. Limited two-way starters have been key. The Rebs certainly fit this mold and will have the upper hand against most 3A teams with their ability to not only cycle in fresh legs, but have more quality talent waiting in the wings once the weather cools and minor injuries become more prevalent.

Reason #7- A strong core returns to build around on Defense. Chuck Smith is a Defensive Coach and always has strong LB'ers. Ezarious Roller was superb as a Sophomore and will anchor the LB crew. Smith and Bartleson are obvious top tier talents in a very good secondary, Wilson Kelly was excellent on the D-Line. The pieces are there to build around, but it is pretty clear Boyle will have a little bit of work to do to regain the form they found throughout much of last season.

Boyle County Will Not Win the 2018 Title Because:

Reason #8-They have to completely rebuild their Offensive Line. Heading into 2017 the unquestioned strength of the Rebels was going to be an O-Line unit that returned every single starter including a pair of Division 1 prospects. The Boyle trench warriors lived up to their billing and were one of the best units in the Commonwealth. This year the Rebs have to replace all but one of those maulers. Ned Stephens will have to anchor a green unit.

Reason #9- The Rebel Defensive Line also have monstrous holes to fill. Mitchell Paycheck may have been the hardest working D-Linemen in the State and effort-ed his way to All-State ballots with a superb season.Kelly and Aaron Hatter are strong pieces to build around, but Paycheck and Clete Hellyer's graduation will both pose major concerns.

Reason #10- The playoff path will get a bit harder. Last year the Rebels were matched up with arguably one of the weaker Districts in Regional play and as a result their District mates feasted en route to a First Round sweep. The Rebels will now inherit a match-up with District 6, which in turn means a match-up with Belfry potentially. If all expectations hold true this will require the long road trip to the edge of the State to play a Belfry team who has not lost a home playoff game since 2009. If the Rebels survive their reward will be a Semi-Finals game against the team they saw in the Championship last year, Corbin. If Boyle advances they will then see the West representative where Louisville Central figures to be a factor. It is foreseeable Boyle may have to beat four of the Top 6 or 7 teams to win the Title.

Reason #11- Lexington Catholic should be noticeably better and WanDale Robinson returns at Western Hills. Robinson is a special player and a guy who can change the scoreboard with one missed tackle. Western Hills probably won't have the supporting cast to knock off Boyle, but on a cold, wet night where crazy things can happen it is scary to think of Robinson getting the ball in the 4th Quarter. Likewise, Lexington Catholic appears to be a year away from peaking, but the Knights have plenty of talent and a major D-1 prospect at QB and had dominated the Rebels until last season.

Regardless Boyle County Will be Fun To Follow:

Reason #12- If you like well coached football teams that do the fundamentals well. This team simply has the capability to check every single box and outside of experience on the Offensive & Defensive lines don't seem to have an apparent weakness. The Rebels have one of the best Coaching staffs in Kentucky and simply will have a very talented team well prepared each week.

Reason #13- Legacies are defined by how the best players make big plays in big games, and this team should have no shortage of chances. We already outlined the stars and potential layoff path for the Rebels, but when you throw in regular season District games, a rivalry against 2A Champ Danville, and non-District games against stout foes such as Ballard, Wayne County, and Collins this has the makings for a special showcase of elite talents.

Speed kills, and Boyle has a ton of it. They have other very good receivers in addition to Reese. They have the best young kicker in the nation in Jackson Smith, just a freshman. I think they have six linemen over 280 with all state Wilson Kelly at 300 and super quick. There are many others in their supporting cast that most people haven't heard of, but will know their names before the season is over.

We haven't mentioned how good this team is going to be on defense. This can be one of the best defensive teams that the Rebels have had in a long time. The quickness, size , toughness , football smarts and the fact that Chuck is one of best defensive coaches in the game makes this group special. Too many really good defenders to try and name them all. I will leave this up to some of the rest of you supporters to single them out.

I seen Boyle several time last year but I know this year there knowing there starting 3 D1 kids on defense with Bartleson,Kelly,Smith and possibly the Hatter kid may end up being D1 along with multiple others that will play in college at some level. That's impressive for any team especially a 3A team, a coaching friend of mine said Chuck Smith stated the will be overall the fastest team he has ever coached. The defense should be outstanding working with the personnel he has.

Alot of people don't realize that Boyle County's kicking game should be super strong. Special teams is extremely important and is rarely mentioned.

@Country touched base on it a little bit but the freshman kicker coming in did make a 50+ yard field goal in 8th grade. This kid can kick it into the endzone every kickoff. Boyle County has been known for giving up kickoff return touchdowns to speedy teams. This will kicker will limit that to just the offense.

@Country, I saw that there are over 6 lineman weighing in at over 280lbs. Do you happen to have a height listed for these kids? Thanks!

Alot of people don't realize that Boyle County's kicking game should be super strong. Special teams is extremely important and is rarely mentioned.

@Country touched base on it a little bit but the freshman kicker coming in did make a 50+ yard field goal in 8th grade. This kid can kick it into the endzone every kickoff. Boyle County has been known for giving up kickoff return touchdowns to speedy teams. This will kicker will limit that to just the offense.

@Country, I saw that there are over 6 lineman weighing in at over 280lbs. Do you happen to have a height listed for these kids? Thanks!